Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?

After my recent posts about Halloween and its pagan origins, I was challenged to delve into Christmas and into Easter and the celebrations that revolve around those holidays. I will be discussing Christmas at this time and will be looking into Easter at a later time.

So, is Christmas a pagan holiday? Well my answer would be absolutely not. Simply, how could pagans celebrate the birth of Christ in times that predate His birth? Now, that being said, let’s look at a few things.

What is the argument about Christmas being pagan? Most argument comes from the imagery, practices and other celebrations that surround the Christmas season being rooted in pagan practices. However the vast majority of these practices are linked to the winter solstice (the actual longest night of the year and shortest day of the year). According to Britannica, Saturnalia was a roman celebration that was celebrated at the end of the planting season and is most closely linked to our modern Christmas celebrations. Saturnalia was a holiday that worshipped the roman sun god, Saturn. But none- the-less there is many other festivals that revolve around the winter solstice too from many different religions.

I can’t speak to all Christmas practices that are still in practice because simply, there are too many out there so I will seek to focus on the practices in which my family has participated in the past: Christmas trees and other decorations, and Santa Claus including gifts.

Christmas trees and other decorations:

According to history.com, Evergreen decorations specifically “boughs” which are main branches of trees, were brought into the home and hung over the doors and windows. In many countries, this practice was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness while to others evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return. Evergreen boughs were also seen as a symbol of everlasting life to the Vikings. Note all of these practices were using evergreen boughs and not entire trees. History.com further goes on to credit Germany with the origin of the actual Christmas tree in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. When this practice was brought to America, many of the puritans deemed it as pagan, however, the puritans came from areas that were steeped in druidism and were associating it with pagan practices from the origins from whence they came which as mentioned above was not where the use of a Christmas tree came from.

You may hear arguments against Christmas trees from Christians based on the scripture Jeremiah 10:3-4 (TLV): “The customs of the peoples are useless: it is just a tree cut from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. They decorate it with silver and gold, and fasten it with hammer and nails so it won’t totter.” Sounds like a Christmas tree right?...Wrong! Let’s look at this in context. Jeremiah 10:1-5 (TLV) is the full picture “Hear the word that Adonai speaks to you, house of Israel, Thus says Adonai: “Do not learn the way of the nations or be frightened by signs of the heavens— though the nations are terrified by them. The customs of the peoples are useless: it is just a tree cut from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. They decorate it with silver and gold, and fasten it with hammer and nails so it won’t totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber garden, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk! Do not fear them for they can do no harm —nor do any good.” So looking at this in context, it is clear that what is being described is the creation of an idol NOT a Christmas tree. Therefore, while this does not discredit the scripture, it does discredit the use of this scripture in this matter, unless you are idolizing your Christmas tree.

What about nativity scenes? Nativity scenes are undoubtedly Christian in nature and specifically portray the birth of Christ and definitely have a place in the Christmas celebration, but again, as mentioned above, do you idolize the nativity scene that you display at Christmas? The focal point of the nativity scene is what the entire Christmas holiday is intended to revolve around, the birth of Jesus the Messiah!

Santa Claus:

In recent years, we have chosen to shy away from Santa Claus in many aspects because Santa can teach so many different things. So, let’s look at the origins of Santa Claus. An excerpt from Britannica online describes Santa this way, “Santa Claus, legendary figure who is the traditional patron of Christmas in the United States and other countries, bringing gifts to children. His popular image is based on traditions associated with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint. Father Christmas fills the role in many European countries. The Dutch are credited with transporting the legend of Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) to New Amsterdam (now New York City), along with the custom of giving gifts and sweets to children on his feast day, December 6.” This doesn’t seem so bad, but in modern times this practice has become largely commercialized and teaches potentially harmful things. Good example is that if you take 2 families, one poor, one wealthy, both of their children attend the same school and just happen to be in the same classroom. When these kids are talking all about what Santa brought them, the rich poorly behaved boy describes all the magnificent expensive things that he received while the well behaved poor boy is left wondering why he only received a football. The point that I am making here is that Santa has now discriminated between the two boys because of economic status. It is in the giving of gifts and the practice of Santa that has completely commercialized Christmas and has taken the focus away from Who Christmas represents to Christians.

In Closing, I want to review the initial question and title of this article. “Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?” As I said in the beginning, No it is not. Yes, it can be argued that there are pagan practices incorporated. The question that I feel like was being put to me after my post and article about Halloween was to question whether or not I celebrate other “pagan associated” holidays to discredit my argument against Halloween. Here is my reply, Yes I do celebrate Christmas and Easter for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God and Jesus which is where my family focus is directed. Yes, I said that we shy away from Santa Claus because of the extravagant way he has been portrayed in modern time. I will say that in my home, Santa (not St. Nicholas),Easter bunny, and tooth fairy are treated the same way as Superman, Bugs bunny, and any other fictitious character simply because if we were to tell our children that these characters were real and let them to believe that way, all the while teaching them about Jesus and God, which are real, then we set them up with a simple argument, If Santa, Easter bunny, and tooth fairy aren’t real, after years of being led to believe that they were, then how are we credible when telling them about God and Jesus? None of them are seen with the eye and rely on faith to believe.

Ultimately with the holidays, you have to look at this one question: What / Who does it glorify or point to?

Halloween: Fear, Death, Witchcraft, Satanism

Christmas (NOT winter solstice): The Birth of Christ the Savior

Easter: The death and resurrection of Jesus.

With these things, ultimately, you have to choose what is right for your family. I am not here to tell you what to do, I am here to provide information and share a little about what we do. The most important thing you can consider about all 3 holidays is as a Christian, “Can you glorify God through participating in the holiday.” If you can’t point it to God, then you shouldn’t celebrate it as a Christian.

Matthew 10:13-16 (TLV)

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt should lose its flavor, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Psalm 99:9 (TLV)

Exalt Adonai our God, and worship at His holy hill, for holy is Adonai our God.

Revelation 4:11 (TLV)

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created!”

Luke 2: 10-14 (TLV)

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I proclaim Good News to you, which will be great joy to all the people. A Savior is born to you today in the city of David, who is Messiah the Lord. And the sign to you is this: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly a multitude of heavenly armies appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men of good will.”

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (TLV)

With this in mind, we pray for you constantly, that our God may consider you worthy of the calling and fulfill with power every good desire and work of faith, so the name of our Lord Yeshua may be glorified in you, and you in Him, in keeping with the grace of our God and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.